


Let's Play A Game

by Lilmia_Casand



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Shorts, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, other stuff but just this for now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 08:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30001929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilmia_Casand/pseuds/Lilmia_Casand
Summary: So you know all of those cliches?  I’m going to try my hand at them, write a really good one and then a bad one, you decide which is which.  This should be fun, (and a way to get all my frustration out about this without ranting). (my rants tend to end up extreme)
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Kudos: 17





	Let's Play A Game

**Soulmates Part 1 - Soulmate’s Name**

John remembers that his soulmark had always been there, someone in the world had been born that would compliment him perfectly, born before him, had to wait for him. (his father had his mother’s name in a glowing white John had only seen once before his father got mad) (John’s mother didn’t have a human soulmark, she had a dead best friend, a cat’s paw print scarred over her heart) (John asked her once, she said Luna had been her cat when she was small, that Luna had followed her throughout all of her life, dying just before she met John’s father, she told him she’d cried into Luna’s fur when life was rough, and when she felt alone Luna would lick her face and wipe away her tears as if John’s mother was Luna’s kitten) (his father had never taken well to being upstaged by a platonic soulmark) (nevermind one for a cat)

John wondered if Sherlock was a foreign name, wondered what she’d look like, wondered when he’d meet her. The name on the inside of his right wrist stared at him, some days he was excited, some days he wished it was over his heart instead. Wished he’d meet Sherlock and she’d be a girl he could fall in love with but was his best mate anyways. Wished they’d be one of those stories where they fall in love and get married just months after meeting.

Sherlock wasn’t a foreign name, it meant ‘fair lock of hair’, he guessed Sherlock was blond, it was a girl’s name, but uncommon. Some nights he had nightmares about Sherlock not having his name, and he’d wake up wishing he had a paw print or a name on his chest instead, instead of the brand on his wrist. He hoped he never met Sherlock, he didn’t know if he could make it another day without her.

And then John joined the army.

He slept around, no one was named Sherlock, he started wearing a watch. Time passed. He stopped caring so much-

_ BANG! _

The world ended.

Sherlock clearly remembered when his soulmark appeared, John written on the inside of his right wrist,  _ John  _ scratched over his heart. He was six years old, and wanted to be just like his big brother, who had only a name above his heart, wanted to be like his parents who were set to be platonic, who fell in love anyways, he was the only one in the family with a soulmark on his wrist.

They weren’t allowed to talk about the second one over his heart, because that didn’t happen, people didn’t have two soulmarks, even if they were the same name. (Sherlock wondered if they were even the same person) Sherlock didn’t want to meet his soulmate, he went by Sherlock instead of his first name, was sure that he’d tricked fate. Sherlock’s heart stopped beating faster whenever he met a John.

He hated his own skin.

He scratched at his wrist over and over and over and over and over and over- but it never came off. He didn’t love people, he didn’t, he cared, he cared plenty, he even liked his brother, liked Molly, liked Lestrade, cared for his mother and father and Mrs. Hudson, he would care for John one day, he would probably like John one day, but he didn’t  _ love  _ John and he didn’t think he ever would.

Was there a term for someone who didn’t care about sex one way or another and had never been attracted to anybody and never would be but had a name written on their wrist instead of their chest?

He wondered, if perhaps, John would be a client, or another genius, if John would be asexual, or if the reason for his double soulmark was because Sherlock was along the lines of aromantic. (when he fell asleep he’d dream about falling in love with a man who couldn’t love him back) (he dreamed of a face he couldn’t quite see, someone he’d give the world for, someone he’d do anything for, fall fruitlessly in love with him and he could do nothing to fix it)

Sometimes he considered getting a tattoo to cover up the mark on his wrist, so that he had only one, just a name on his chest and nothing else. A name over his heart. Sometimes he considered cutting his wrist till it scarred and he couldn’t see  _ John  _ anymore. (sometimes when he managed to fall asleep it was the name on his chest he wanted to cross out)

(he’d never trusted the universe, but did it have to be so wrong?)

Soulmarks were a push in the right direction, they didn’t mean perfection, they didn’t mean no problems no backing out. Far too many people didn’t see that.

Sherlock started wearing coats with long sleeves and gloves and doodling on his arm in a way that made it seem like  _ John  _ wasn’t part of a mark but a tattoo of flowers.

He considered getting done permanently.

He didn’t.

When John met Sherlock the first thing he said was, “Your name is a girl’s name.” Sherlock’s mind was sent into disarray, because what this man had just said, what this  _ John  _ had just said meant that he had a soulmark that said Sherlock. Sherlock went on about his deductions, but inside he was examining John’s wrist, he was wearing a watch.

Sherlock inexplicably feared that it was covering a scar of his name, that there was some girl who’d had John’s heart named Sherlock. Sherlock walked past him and his sleeve slipped slightly, the name  _ John  _ was now a glowing white light. Sherlock cursed.

When Sherlock met John the first thing he did was deduce him. John was left rather shocked and- enamoured. A glance at his watch, he pulled it back slightly and- it was a bright white, it was beautiful. John didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t gay… But did that mean that Sherlock was?

It was a rule that they didn’t mention their marks, John knew about the one on Sherlock’s chest, and yet Sherlock hid his right wrist just like John did. John wished, wished so hard, that  _ Sherlock  _ was written on his chest as well, spelled above his heart. Wished he could say his feelings were probably platonic.

He wished fate wasn’t so cruel.

There is a bomb around his chest and he is speaking the words of a madman.

Sherlock can’t help but feel betrayed.

And then they are next to each other, far away from any danger (as far as they can get), and John notices a faint glow coming from Sherlock’s wrist, Sherlock wasn’t wearing a watch or anything, planning to one up Moriarity with a final bit of confusion. John grabbed his hand and stared at his name written in blinding white on Sherlock’s wrist.

He didn’t have his watch on either, he held out his wrist, revealing Sherlock’s name, something he was fairly certain was already known, but-

Their eyes met and for ever question they had, they knew they’d find the answers together.

“You know there are only 5 recorded cases of having a double platonic and romantic soulmark, and 17 where their soulmark shows up later in life despite the soulmate already having been alive. You have a double platonic and romantic soulmark, and my second soulmark showed up later in life.”

“That’s because I’m special Jawwwwnnnnn.”

“I’m the first recorded person to gain a second soulmark later in life.”

“Because of me.”

“Technically yes, but also, I’ve always wished your stupid name was over my heart instead of on my wrist, and now that I’m perfectly happy with my lot it just finally shows up- and stop messing with the tea pot I’m trying to rant right now-!”

“You can rant on your blog!”

“Yes, but-!”

Sherlock cut him off with a kiss.

( _ extra stuff, I’d imagine Sherlock as Demisexual in this AU and John is bi, he’s just never really liked a dude very much before Sherlock _ )


End file.
